The two had always been close, closer than most siblings were. They had grown up together almost their whole lives, and they thought nothing could get in between them. Nothing, not even the rivalry for the position as L's successor. In fact, that's what brought them together in the first place. They had both been the 'two little geniuses' at Wammy's House; that's what everyone called them. One was never seen without the other. So it went without saying that the two were best friends.

"Mello." the young, white-haired boy said one day, working diligently on a puzzle.

"Yeah, Near?" the other replied, his blonde hair framing his wide eyes as he glanced up. Already they had been taught to use theses names for each other, even though the real names held a place close to their hearts.

"Do you think you'll be the next L?" Near asked quietly, still staring at the puzzle pieces. Mello puffed up his cheeks.

"I won't be L, I'll be way better! I'll be… M!" he crowed confidently, pounding a fist on his chest and taking another bite of chocolate. This brought a small smile to Near's face and he laughed, reaching for the remaining piece of the puzzle.

"Hm? I can't find the last piece." He looked around the small room they called their own but to no avail. Mello started to look as well, even calling Matt in to help, and yet the last piece remained lost.

"Sorry, Near. I can't find it." the blonde reported sadly, kneeling down to look his friend in the eyes.

"It's okay, I can just start a new one." Near replied, smiling at the other boy in thanks. Mello could feel his heart swell up, and he stood, going back to the bed he had occupied earlier.

"What about you?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think you'll be the next L?" Mello specified, gazing intently at his roommate but not meeting his eyes. Near thought for a moment, abandoning the puzzle for a few minutes, until he finally answered.

"Maybe, but I want you to be the next L. I want to be proud of you."

x-x-x

"L's dead. How could this happen? He's dead!" The blonde teen punched the wall and scowled, angry but somehow hopeful. The man who had been like a big brother to him, the man he had idolized, the man he had worked so hard to succeed… dead. Just like that. Probably killed by Kira, the dirty bas****.

The hopefulness rose in him still, finally reaching his head. What was with this emotion? He remembered the words spoken by his rival long ago, a time when he knew why he wanted to succeed L.

'Maybe, but I want you to be the next L. I want to be proud of you.'

Had that been his motivation, the reason he had started working so hard to rise over everyone at Wammy's House? He had forgotten, and the urge to be number one came naturally to him after so long. And yet he had never been able to beat Near. The love that he had once had for the boy turned to hate in his mind, until the fact had slipped away that they had once been friends. All Nate Rivers was to him now was a bitter rival, and he thought the same should be said about him from the opposite side.

"Mello?" The soft voice came from the doorway, and Mello turned to see Near standing there, his baggy white sleeve covering his hand as he absentmindedly tugged at a lock of curly hair.

"What do you want?" Mello asked, an underlying growl evident. Near frowned and his eyes flicked downward quickly, almost too fast for the other to see. But he did.

"I've been thinking… do you want to be a team? Work together? We don't have to be enemies."

We'll never be enemies, as long as we have a common goal. As long as I-

"You think I'd want to work with a sheep? Of course not!" he surprised himself by blurting that out, the opposite of the words that had swum in his mind. He turned his back to Near, who sighed almost inaudibly and walked away, the hem of his pants dragging.

Why did he say that? Well, whatever, he would stick to it now. But why did it feel like a piece of his heart was missing?

x-x-x

Near looked over at the blonde's picture on his desktop. He felt a pang of loss as he gazed at the familiar smirk, although he knew Mello was probably with Matt, and happy about it. As long as Mello wasn't dead, Near knew he had to keep investigating the Kira case. Near could tell Mello loved the challenge, even if he didn't show it.

Suddenly, he realized that Mello's scar was missing from the picture. It was a painful reminder, but it was a part of the other know. It was necessary, but Near left it alone, his emotionless eyes betraying nothing at all.

He picked up the Kira figurine and, knowing fully well this would do nothing, moved it as far away from the Mello figure as possible.

"Near, I have a report." Halle Lidner said, walking in.

"I know, go ahead."

x-x-x

Mello gripped the steering wheel of the truck, smirking. So close… he was so close, he just had to finish this Takada operation. He was actually glad that he and Near had been able to compromise about this, so that he could do things his way. Honestly, he didn't get the fuss of his tactics being 'cruel' or 'unlawful'. He had said that he would do whatever it takes, didn't he? So he would!

An unwelcome fear climbed into his chest, startling the usually collected Mello. Then a pain, intense pain, his heart beating alarmingly faster than usual…

Near…

He thought, before everything went black.

x-x-x

A small boy stood at a gravestone, his head bowed and his blank expression marred by almost invisible tear tracks. He was bare-foot and dressed all in white, the loose clothing trailing the ground and hiding his shaking hands.

Mihael Keehl, 1989-2010.

Any passerby, had there been any on that wet, gray day in the dismal, sad graveyard, wouldn't have heard what the boy uttered, wiping away the tears he had refused to acknowledge until then.

"We never did find that missing piece, did we, M?"

A/N: Hey guys! A one-shot I made for my Death Note OTP, Mello x Near! It's not really romantic, more... OOC. And sad, I guess. But it's badly written, so if you don't like it, I understand. I only just finished the original series, and the part I was most upset about was Mello's death. Even more than L's. Especially since it was short and not even addressed as a big part of the manga, which made me a little angry. So I had to write about it in an offhand, shipping kind of way. So, review and all that! Thank you!